A Mostly Monthly E-Newsletter by and about GrooveLily
Valerie Vigoda: vocals/violin
Brendan Milburn: keys/vocals
Gene Lewin: drums/vocals
G r o o v e L i l y E – N e w s # 5 4
Almost out of hibernation, people…
1. April 26 Show In Maplewood, NJ: “Petal Pusher” Gig
2. April 27 Show at Joe’s Pub, NYC
3. Gene With Audra McDonald: More Gigs Added
4. “Long Story Short”/”Sleeping Beauty Wakes” Workshop Wrapup
5. More LA Accolades For “Sleeping Beauty Wakes”: Garland Awards
6. More Press About “Long Story Short” & “Toy Story: The Musical”
7. Far-Flung Friends Performing In NYC: Britt Swenson, Christopher Fuelling
8. We Also Recommend: Fugitive Songs (Chris Miller & Nathan Tysen)
1. April 26 Show In Maplewood, NJ: “Petal Pusher” Gig
We miss you! And so it is with great pleasure that we will dust off our instruments and return to Maplewood, NJ for the Underground Concert Series, this time at a lovely middle school auditorium.
Our Petal Pushers (GrooveLily street team) have been wonderful and indispensable to us over the years, and we want to give something back. At this first-ever Petal Pusher gig, all PPs will get in for free, AND…we’d like them to help write the set list.
Please mark your calendars (and just to be clear, EVERYONE is cordially invited, not just Petal Pushers) for Saturday evening, April 26 – and any PPs with song requests should email us at us@groovelily.com — we will compile the requests and write the set accordingly. Please make your requests by March 21, and we look forward to seeing you at this very special show (which could very well become an annual tradition).
Saturday, April 26, 2008
UNDERGROUND CONCERT SERIES
Maplewood Middle School Auditorium
7 Burnet Street
Maplewood, NJ
8:00 PM, $22 General Admission (FREE for Petal Pushers)
973.762.0119
www.undergroundconcerts.com
jamie@undergroundconcerts.com
2. April 27 Show at Joe’s Pub, NYC
The night after the PP concert in NJ, we’ll be doing a (different) show at Joe’s Pub in Manhattan. It’s our first real gig in this venue, which is one of New York’s best listening rooms, and we are very excited about it. Hope you can join us! We’ll be playing one 60-minute set.
Sunday, April 27, 2008
JOE’S PUB
425 Lafayette Street
New York City
7:30 PM, $20 General Admission
212.967.7555
www.joespub.com
sthake@publictheater.org
3. Gene With Audra McDonald: More Gigs Added
Friday, March 28 at the Lucas Theatre for the Arts in Savannah, GA
Sunday, March 30 at the Ferst Center for the Arts in Atlanta, GA
Tuesday, April 1, Thomasville Cultural Center in Thomasville, GA
Friday May 2, Jorgensen Center for the Performing Arts in Storrs, CT
Saturday May 3, Jorgensen Center for the Performing Arts in Storrs, CT
4. “Long Story Short”/”Sleeping Beauty Wakes” Workshop Wrapup
We could not be happier with the way both these shows are shaping up. After these relatively frantic weeks of writing and traveling (to Pittsburgh and then to Princeton, NJ), revising pages and making charts before rehearsal each day and then barraging the actors with new material, both “Long Story Short” and “Sleeping Beauty Wakes” are in their best incarnations yet. Thanks so much to everyone at City Theatre, TheatreWorks and McCarter Theatre for all their support as we develop these pieces … and to all the actors who have been incredibly generous with their time and their talent, allowing us to hear where we are with our writing. Wayne Wilcox and Deborah Craig worked with us on “Long Story Short” in Pittsburgh; and the cast of the Princeton “Beauty” reading included Bill Youmans, Kaitlin Hopkins, Whitney Bashor, Charlie Pollock, Patrick Ryan Sullivan, Jimmy Ray Bennett, Sally Wilfert, Todd Buonopane and Kate Chapman.
Each show had a reading with an audience, on a cold soggy night in a small room … and we have emerged even more enthusiastic about both projects, galvanized to finish our work. Val and Bren’s 2 1/2-year-old son Mose has emerged with two new favorite phrases, repeated frequently with vehement happy arm gestures: “US Airways!” and “Holiday Inn Express!”
5. More LA Accolades For “Sleeping Beauty Wakes”: Garland Awards
Once again, we are incredibly honored. We just learned about these awards, and they make us even more excited about the future of the show. Every year, the critics of Back Stage West vote on the best of theatre in Los Angeles and vicinities. “Sleeping Beauty Wakes” won for: Production (Center Theatre Group, Deaf West Theatre), Choreography (Jeff Calhoun), and Sound Design (Eric Snodgrass).
From the Back Stage web page on the 2008 Garland Awards:
PRODUCTION
Sleeping Beauty Wakes
Center Theatre Group and Deaf West Theatre at Kirk Douglas Theatre
SLEEPING BEAUTY WAKES, winner for Production
“Sleeping Beauty sleeps. She of the Charles Perrault fairy tale was born a princess centuries ago to a doting king and queen but was cursed by an evil fairy who was not invited to the princess’ christening. Under the curse, the princess fell into a deep sleep that could be broken only by the kiss of a prince. Or so the traditional fairy tale tells us. Cleverly interweaving that tale into today’s world of sleep clinics, Sleeping Beauty Wakes is modern in music, language, and staging but achingly timeless in sensibility and themes, with book by Rachel Sheinkin and music and lyrics by Brendan Milburn and Valerie Vigoda. Adding to the charm, a sizable portion of the cast is deaf or hard of hearing, communicating with us in American Sign Language. So hearing actors voice and sing those roles in addition to portraying others.”
– Dany Margolies
Full story here:
http://www.backstage.com/bso/search/article_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1003717668
6. More Press About “Long Story Short” & “Toy Story: The Musical”
We’re a cult band! Drink our Kool-Aid!
“Milburn and Vigoda, a married couple at the heart of the ‘cult band’ GrooveLily, are hot right now, with their ‘Striking 12′ a 2006 off-Broadway hit and their ‘Sleeping Beauty Wakes’, written for Los Angeles’ Deaf West, a record-breaker at the Kirk Douglas Theatre.”
Full story here:
http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/08071/864048-42.stm
***
And, we dress up sometimes.
http://www.playbill.com/news/article/115686.html
7. Far-Flung Friends Performing In NYC: Britt Swenson, Christopher Fuelling
Some of our dear friends are coming to town! If you’d care to join us for some fun comedy or terrific Baroque music, we’d love it:
Britt Swenson
SO MANY LADIES
The Zipper Factory
336 West 37th Street (between 8th and 9th Aves)
New York City
Sunday, April 6
7:00 PM, $15 tickets
212.352.3101
www.thezipperfactory.com
“A Best Bet!” – The Denver Post
Hailed as being “Lily Tomlin-esque” by The Denver Post, So Many Ladies is a one-woman tour de force written by and starring stand-up comic and Groundlings veteran Britt Swenson, who plays a total of 15 characters – everything from a Broadway has-been to Laura Bush. Swenson began her stand-up career in New York, and after a move to LA, became a member of the Groundlings and a regular at The Comedy Store. She now lives in Denver, where So Many Ladies premiered to critical acclaim in 2006. Val, who has known Britt since they went to violin camp together at age 12, is a huge fan and can’t wait to see her show at the Zipper.
For a sneak preview, check Britt out on YouTube:
http://youtube.com/watch?v=AQTlOfbuMgI
***
Christopher Fuelling
ART MONASTERY GALA FUNDRAISER
City University Of New York
Shepherd Hall, Convent Avenue near 137th Street
New York City
Saturday, April 12
Doors 7:00 PM, Baroque Concert 8:00 PM, Donations $20-$60
Silent Auction, Italian hors d’oeuvres
http://artmonastery.org/Art_Monastery/Fundraiser_NYC.html
ben@artmonastery.org
Val’s college friend Christopher (a tenor specializing in Early Baroque music and Gregorian chant, among other pursuits) is founding a beautiful artistic retreat in Italy in an old monastery near Rome, with a group of likeminded musicians and artists. This creative haven is called The Art Monastery Project, and Chris & co. are kicking it off with a fundraising tour next month. They’ll be in LA, Philadelphia, NYC, Bloomington, Kansas City, Seattle and San Francisco…Val and Brendan will be at the Manhattan gala on April 12, listening to glorious Baroque singing and cheering on our expat friends.
From their site:
The purpose of the Art Monastery Project is to produce art that is relevant to the contemporary world yet is informed and inspired by tradition. Our strategy is to apply the disciplined efficiency and contemplative serenity of monastic life to art production. As such, the Art Monastery will support artists and projects that best exploit the unique environment we are generating.
8. We Also Recommend: Fugitive Songs (Chris Miller & Nathan Tysen)
If you like GrooveLily, we think it’s a pretty sure bet you’ll like these guys too. Theatrical writers with rock/pop/folk sensibilities, they’ve got wit, they’ve got groove, they’ve got heart … and their song cycle, “Fugitive Songs,” features plenty of all three.
From their press materials:
Chris Miller and Nathan Tysen have crafted a series of theatre songs for their restless generation. Fugitive Songs is a 17-song journey across America, spotlighting people on the run: a disgruntled Subway sandwich employee, a jilted ex-cheerleader, a pair of Patty Hearst fanatics, a stoner who robs a convenience store against his will, and many others. Blending traditional folk music with contemporary pop, Fugitive Songs offers a new sound for a changing America.
FUGITIVE SONGS
45th Street Theatre
354 West 45th Street
New York City
March 9 – 30, 2008
Wed-Sat 8 PM, Sat & Sun 2 PM
$20 tickets
800.595.4849
www.dreamlighttheatre.org
Music by Chris Miller
Lyrics by Nathan Tysen
Directed by Joe Calarco
We’ll be in touch again next month…
love,
GrooveLily
email: us@groovelily.com
web site: www.groovelily.com